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墨書 Inktalez
The situation at Roundabout was somewhat better than expected. At least the surrounding buildings were not as severely damaged as the train station; it seemed the explosion's force was considerably less, and the radiation zone was not too extensive.
Song Yao rushed back to Roundabout as quickly as possible. The horde of Zombies was spreading wildly through the streets, but their slow movement remained a significant flaw. Song Yao's reckless dash bought precious time, allowing her to reach the Three-Layer Fence Wall that protected Roundabout before the Zombies could encircle it.
A large tree between the Iron Fence and a low wall was ablaze. After being ravaged by Acid Rain, the once lush greenery had turned into dry kindling. With the recent sunny weather, it had become perfect fuel for the fire. The flames ignited many structures within Roundabout, and the circular water channel could only store water; without manpower to coordinate, it was utterly ineffective for fire prevention. One side of the iron fence had collapsed, and Song Yao squeezed through, forcing the twisted and damaged bars back into place. The Zombies would arrive soon, so any delay was worth it.
In the center of Roundabout, the Vegetable Greenhouse had yet to be repaired. Its rusted skeleton stood exposed to the night wind, and the acidic soil was no longer suitable for planting. Recently, it had been used as a temporary storage area for retrieved items by search teams; fortunately, there was little damage aside from a thick layer of explosive dust covering everything.
Song Yao felt a moment of daze as she looked around. Although it was chaotic, she found no casualties. She hurried into the bar, which was empty—there was no sign of Yellow Dog or Kittens.
For a brief moment, Song Yao felt lost but then her heart lifted; it seemed that the graduate students had returned in time and managed to evacuate everyone.
She rushed up to the second-floor balcony to check. Directly across from her was a budget hotel used for accommodation; its upper half was mostly destroyed. While she might have been selfish in her thoughts, given the circumstances, they had no time to consider everyone’s fate. Her companions and family at the train station were still unaccounted for, leaving no room for grief over unfamiliar losses.
"Where is everyone? I thought I heard another explosion just now," Chef Jia said, his arm slung around his neck. His long hair had been singed by flames, leaving him in a pitiful state.
Song Yao didn’t know how to explain; she could only sigh deeply and briefly describe what had happened over there. Her gaze swept over everyone before landing on her brother's subordinate's face.
Jiao Ziqian appeared to be in the lowest spirits in the basement. Not to mention that he had already been here twice; last time he was injured, and now he found himself in a similar situation again. Every time Brother Jiu encountered serious trouble, Jiao Ziqian—his right-hand man—was sidelined due to injuries, which left him feeling restless.
It wasn’t entirely his fault; after all, surviving at all felt miraculous. He wasn’t a direct drug user but rather an unintended result of Song Jiu and others' desperate measures using infected blood to create an unorthodox Zombie reserve. Song Yao and Liu Yan were still only partially aware of their own conditions, let alone Jiao Ziqian’s unconventional path. The gunshot wound from a cave-in had severely impacted him; while it wasn’t life-threatening, imagining Song Yao back then—wounded yet still fighting fiercely—was simply impossible.
"How is Brother Jiu?" Jiao Ziqian gritted his teeth and stood up with Yuan An's help, concern evident in his eyes.
Song Yao felt a heaviness in her chest and shook her head sadly. "I don’t know yet." After a pause, she forced out a smile. "That girl named Ying Dou Dou asked me to tell you something."
"Ah," Jiao Ziqian was taken aback, and then his expression changed. "She... she..."
"She will be fine. I'll go find her later," Song Yao said, though she felt uncertain herself. Ying Dou Dou and the others had never been to Roundabout. Even if they managed to escape the Zombie encirclement, they would likely have to fight and retreat, seeking a safe place to hide. Given their current situation, they couldn't spare anyone to search for her; they had to focus on the immediate problems at hand.
"What did she say?" Jiao Ziqian wasn't foolish; he suppressed the strange emotions bubbling inside him and looked intently at her.
"She said..." Song Yao recalled the girl who had spoken with a shy yet composed demeanor. After a moment's thought, she decided against embellishing the words and said softly, "I hope you don't forget her too quickly."
Jiao Ziqian returned to his seat, a bewildered expression on his face as he pondered her words. The others no longer disturbed him and gathered around Song Yao, waiting for her to make a decision. It was clear to everyone that the backbone of the Roundabout camp was Ming Junwei and his group. Song Yao had rushed back alone, and it was evident she wasn't here just to hide in the basement.
"What about Yinuo and Old Tian?" Dr. Zhong asked, concerned for the two girls who were key protected individuals. Given Huihui's situation, Yuan An was particularly upset. Both girls had suffered some scrapes and bruises, but Dr. Zhong appeared unscathed. Although he didn't know exactly what had happened, he had been the one who urged Yinuo and Old Tian to go out. With no news from them now and Roundabout facing turmoil, he felt an overwhelming sense of guilt if anything happened to them.
"The situation over there is chaotic; I don't know the specifics," Song Yao said, striving to remain calm as she noticed everyone quieting down. "There was an explosion at the train station, and for now, there are no signs of enemy attacks, but the Horde has begun to stir throughout the city. I came back to assess Roundabout's situation, but it seems we can't stay here much longer."
"What should we do?" Chef Jia asked gloomily. Everything had finally started moving in the right direction, but now...
"Everyone, grab your weapons and head to the storage room to gather as much food and clean water as you can carry. Follow me," Song Yao glanced at those injured and bleeding, furrowing her brow before gritting her teeth and adding, "Those who can move should join the group; those who can't will stay behind for now. We'll ensure you have enough weapons and food."
The crowd fell silent for a moment before erupting into noise.
No one wanted to be left behind; everyone knew that Roundabout had suffered greatly from this ordeal. Leaving now might mean never returning again. While Roundabout's defenses were strong, Song Yao had decided to abandon it. Clearly, if they didn't leave with the group, their chances of survival would be slim.
"Where are we going?" a graduate student asked quietly amidst the commotion, frowning. "With so many people and no vehicles from Us, should we head straight out of the city or what?"
The graduate student directed his question at Song Yao, and others turned their questioning gazes toward her as well. Song Yao opened her mouth but found herself at a loss for words. She didn't know where they should go either; Luci was still at the intersection, Luo Yu was at the train station, and chaos reigned within the city—there were no designated temporary shelters left in Roundabout.
At that moment, a series of rhythmic knocks echoed from the window.
The graduate students' eyes lit up with excitement as they exclaimed, "Everyone is back!"
Before Song Yao could speak, Pockmarked Girl hurried over to pull open the closed door.
The night wind howled outside, and the sound of falling bricks and tiles created a cacophony. Flames flickered, casting an air of desolation.
A figure stood outside, cloaked in a robe, with one corner lifted by the fierce wind.
Pockmarked Girl's expression of joy froze on her face, quickly replaced by a terrified scream. The others braced themselves for danger, with Song Yao and Yuan An rushing forward, weapons drawn and aimed at the figure.
After a moment of silence, the cloaked person slowly spoke, their voice deep and hoarse, as if their vocal cords had been frozen for centuries.
"I can take you to a safe place if you let me see Effie one more time."
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